Posted on 10/12/2007 2:07:18 PM PDT by Canticle_of_Deborah
Romney isn’t going anywhere outside a few of the lesser primary states so I shouldn’t worry. McCain isn’t going anywhere at all. Rudy, we’ll that’s still to be determined.
>> It’s like “they,” whoever “they” is in the republican party, have NO clue. It’s like they would have money to burn if they said what needs to be said, but they don’t! It’s like they appear Soooo stupid it is either a furtively planned political arrangement, or a hopeless cause for individual dignity.
Understood. However, I think some of this is just due to media portrayals of Republicans. For instance, you ask the average person whether they trust “Republicans” ... many will say no. If you ask whether they’d trust Fred Thompson or Rudy Giuliani, I’d suspect most would say yes.
The Republican Party, conservatives, etc., continually get a bad name in the press ... and it just bleeds into the collective subconscious.
I’m not sure Mitt Romney would help this image problem, though ... he strikes me as a little greasy.
>> The thing is, I, and apparently a whole lot of people both on FR and in my personal life, get the same vibe from the REPUBLICAN PARTY.
I’m not sure whether this is entirely on topic - but, I’ve been getting the feeling that uninvolved people don’t like “Republicans” in concept ... but generally prefer them after a name/ face is attached to the Party affiliation. Likewise, people like Democrats conceptually ... but, in practice, they don’t care for Democrat candidates.
For instance ... if you put a generic Republican up against a generic Democrat in 2008, the Democrat usually wins by a lot. But, if you put Fred Thompson up against Hillary Clinton, the margin is MUCH lower, if not completely gone.
Because of the media, people have a skewed image of Republicans and conservatives (both elected officials, and the rank and file). They think we’re stuffy, square, afraid of anything fun (including sex), and entirely unable to have a good time. They’ve got this Ward Cleaver/ Perry Como image of conservatism stuck in their heads. Conversely, they think of Democrats as good-time rock-n-rollers ... as they tend to think of liberals as Grateful Dead fans.
But - once you put a name and a face with the Party, people tend to prefer us. It is, in fact, liberals and Democrats that are usually stuffy know-it-alls (for instance, feminists and vegans are ALL Democrats ... and we all know how much fun a vegan feminist party can be).
Republicans tend to be more down-to-earth real people ... Guys-guys and girly-girls. Many of us like rock music (personally, I’m a heavy-metal guy), a beer and a ballgame, bawdy humor, movies with explosions and meaningless nudity, and most of us greatly enjoy sex (and those that don’t aren’t doing it right). In my experience, Republicans are everyday people ... and Democrats are erudite northeastern or west-coast snobs.
You put Thompson (a modest, quick-witted, smart, real guy) up against Hillary (an arrogant, cold, calculating shrew) ... and most people will trust the Republican. particularly since the LAST time the Democrats won the Presidency, it was partially because their candidate was an “guys-guy” type in Bill Clinton ... they don’t have a similar candidate for 2008.
I’m not sure you’d get the same effect with Mitt Romney though ... he really needs an image overhaul, he’s a little too John Kerry-esque.
H
If Ghouliani gets the nomination the party will be divided and irrevocably broken. If Thompson gets the nomination it will be the most disorganized, chaotic, undisciplined campaign seen in recent presidential elections. And we lose with either of those guys.
With Romney we get a united party and someone with a proven track record of success.
And the Republicans will win.
Nothing over the top about exposing the record of one of our nation's worst RINO Governors.
"I doubt if many take you seriously."
Au contraire.
"He is only #3 in the polls."
And I aims to keep it like that.
"Why all this intense antagonism?"
Read all my posts on him and you'll find out. This thread is a good start.
His supporters and his party.
"He has a reputation of being especially generous to others."
He was quite generous... to the liberals and Democrats. That's his problem. We can't afford anymore of his "generosity."
"Also, flip-flopping is when one goes from one position to another and then back again. When did Romney do that? He has made a steady transition from moderate liberal to conservative on some issues. That is not flip-flop. That is studying an issue and changing your mind."
He HAS no core principles. He tells the audience whatever they want to hear and they lap it up like he actually means it. I've known him 13 years and I wouldn't trust him as far as I could toss him. William Weld's little disciple. Dangerous and destructive as hell to Conservative Republican fortunes.
That is a smear. He isn’t anything like Kerry. He doesn’t go from one wife to the other. He doesn’t live off his wife’s wealth. He has never lied about the military. He has never undermined his country. He isn’t pompous in his delivery. He hasn’t been a do-nothing in his endeavors. It appears to me that, because you despise the guy, even his positives look negative to you.
Well, to take some heat off Mitt, it's not much of a party anyways. It's performance standards are the Democrats. I mean, what the Republican party produces less or more government? More government.
The Republican Party delivers more taxes, rules and regulations or less? It does more.
The Republican Party as a brand insures and regulates it's party officials more or the same (meaning zero) as the Democrats? It does the same. Nothing.
Abortion. Family values. Patriotism? Same effort that the Democrats do for their boob bait voters in education, public housing. That is lip service for the memoryless.
Ronald Reagan was an aberration. The Party didn't like him, and will see that there isn't another one. Government is the biggest business, and that is the business of the Republican Party.
Well, we’re not dead, yet, but we need to do something about clearing out the dead wood and getting back to standing for something that isn’t “rodent-lite.” We forgot about the Contract with America. :-\
Pro Abortion (well until, what, last month)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_w9pquznG4
Romney “I don’t line up with the NRA” Boston Globe 1/14/07
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk1bJOpYUqE
“pro-gay” - or, the Log Cabin Republicans think so:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Elx3UWmyAY4
And Romney in favor of gay scout leaders:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEOJNw4lmlI
He’s a liberal, Bronco.
>> That is a smear.
Just an observation. I’ve got no disdain for Mitt Romney ... this is not a “smear”, its more of a tip on how to craft his image a bit better.
>> He isn’t anything like Kerry. He doesn’t go from one wife to the other. He doesn’t live off his wife’s wealth. He has never lied about the military. He has never undermined his country.
I didn’t say he was John Kerry ... I said he was a little Kerry-esque. These are obviously not the characteristics I was speaking of.
>> He isn’t pompous in his delivery.
He’s a little bit pompous.
>> It appears to me that, because you despise the guy, even his positives look negative to you.
Who said I despise Mitt Romney? Read through my posts on this thread ... I specifically said I’d have no hesitation in voting for Romney were he to be nominated. I like Romney fine. However, he’s got an image problem he needs to work on ... and its somewhat the same image problem Kerry had.
Romney is an erudite, northeastern politician (from Massachussets, no less ... the home of Kerry and Dukakis, not a great record of political victoris there). He comes off as slick, over-rehearsed, and overhandled. He delivers lines and arguments as if he’s reading from a script, and flows directly into contrived “Law and Order” references.
The “Law and Order” line was funny, and didn’t bother me at all ... except as a microcosm for an aire of disingenuousness I get from Mitt. He seems like he’s acting ... and it makes him look as if he’s pandering - telling GOP voters what they want to hear - rather than giving his genuine positions on issues.
I say this, not as an attack on Romney - but as a suggestion for him should he get nominated. People in middle-America, the South particularly, don’t care for “slick” politicians ... which is why the only Democrats to get elected since 1975 were both southern “Good-ol-boy” types (Clinton and Carter). Mondale, Dukakis, Kerry, Gore, Bush I, and even Dole somewhat ... all of them were slick politicos, and all got beaten by opponents that were percieved as “real” people ... Reagan, Clinton and GW Bush.
Likewise, Reagan, Bush II and Clinton were guys-guy types ... and all won over their more erudite oppnents. Bush I was the exception ... he was a northeastern politician that beat an even more out-of-touch northeastern politician (Dukakis), but lost to the good-ol-boy Southern Democrat the next time around.
Image is important - and the image Romney’s giving off isn’t great right now. Thompson and Giuliani are doing a much better job at crafting an image that will sell in middle-America.
Luckily, it looks like the Democrats will nominate Hillary Clinton ... the most out-of-touch and dislikable northeastern politician I’ve ever seen.
H
You are right about the power of populist traits for political office.
Mitt is a bit of a stiff.
“It’s hard to believe that there could be a more appropriate, competent leader for the GOP right now than Mitt Romney - proven leadership! And he’s proven it over and over and over!”
He’s also proved that he’ll say anything to get elected. The man has no principles other than power.
>> You are right about the power of populist traits for political office.
This is one reason I think the GOP would be in good hands with Fred Thompson. He’d beat Hillary for the same reason Bill Clinton beat Bush and Dole ... he’s a likeable, a regular guys-guy who knows his stuff politically.
He’s smart, but not bookish. He’s quick-witted but not snarky. He’s got the right answers, but isn’t scripted or overpolished. He’s got a common-sense straightforward delivery style. He sounds a little like Foghorn Leghorn ... but that should have some appeal in the south. He’s got all of George W. Bush’s everyman charm ... without his tendency to trip over his own words.
I like Romney, and could even be persuaded to vote for Giuliani ... but I think Thompson would have more broad appeal.
H
PBS needs to be zeroed out, let them raise funds the way the other networks do it... with commercials. Ditto the NEA. You pose an interesting question, though... How DO you abolish a department ? It’s never been done in the history of the US (with the exception of Post Office, which was privatized but not abolished, and that was done under Nixon).
Departments have been divided (Labor & Commerce were once a single department). Many of them need to be merged (Agriculture/Commerce/Labor & Interior should all be combined and renamed Domestic or Interior Affairs; Veterans Affairs needs to be under Defense, even Homeland Security should be a function of that) or simply reorganized. No department save for those under the original Constitution should be set in stone.
“Romney is on the record as being pro-life.”
Yeah...since he started campaigning. In Massachusetts he was “pro-choice”...as well as pro-gun control. Now he says he isn’t. Guess he was for those things before he was against them. Kinda like another Massachusetts politician.
There you go again trashing Mitt with useless ammo....You shoud be ashamed of yourself.
I’m glad you heartily approve of my truth-telling and I thank you for encouraging my efforts to expose Precious Willard’s horrible record of shame.
I agree. Mitt is my top choice now, and I'd only consider changing that if Newt got in the race.
With that said, I will enthusiastically support the GOP candidate, whomever it is because they would be head and shoulders above anything the democrats have running at the moment.
I will also support any of the GOP candidates.
Unfortunately, the Dems have poor choices.
If Hillary was not married to Bill, do you really think we would even know her right now?
She has nothing that recommends her to this job.
Anyone but Hillary!
But I am really motivated by Mitt Romney!
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